


Taken

by TyrantLizardKing



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Abduction, Drama, F/M, Motivations, Romance, Self Confidence Issues, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25244218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyrantLizardKing/pseuds/TyrantLizardKing
Summary: One week until Christmas for Ren Amamiya and Makoto Niijima, free of their troubles. All but one of them, that is. A minor AU story.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto
Kudos: 48





	1. Premonition

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my latest ShuMako story. It's been quite a while since the last, as life has gotten busier and I've gotten lazier. But there's always stories being cooked in my writing oven, stories for you to read and hopefully enjoy. This one, well I actually started drafting this way back in February. The idea came to me from listening to The Prowler's Theme from Spider Man: Into the Spiderverse, and I've long been hesitant on whether to share this piece or not since it felt more experimental. Nevertheless, after previewing it to some friends and getting positive feedback, I have decided to publish it after all. The first chapter is brief, more of a setup, but rest assured things will pick up soon enough.

“Your last question for the day: can you tell me what 165 times 962 is?” The girl closed the textbook firmly, holding it shut so her peer couldn’t manage a peek at all. The two of them had been studying all Saturday afternoon, working hard to be ready for his major test on Monday.

Ren smiled at her; how foolish to think she had him cornered after all this time. He folded his arms in confidence, pressing his back against the chair and displayed a wide smile across his face. “That’s simple, the answer is 158,730.” His reward for the quick response was applause and an accompanying smile.

“Excellent.” Makoto began collecting her belongings. “It seems you’re ready for the calculus test on Monday now, Ren.” She was proud of him for all the dedication he’d shown towards this task. As she reached for a book close to him, his hand grasped her own.

“I couldn’t have prepared for it without you.” His eyes seemed to sparkle in the setting sun’s light.

Makoto managed an embarrassed laugh in front of her lover. “Well, I can’t take all the credit…”

A black cat popped its head out from within Ren’s backpack. “You know Makoto, he’s actually studied so hard under you that I’ve heard him reciting formulas in his sleep.” Ren nodded in agreement, looking even more confident.

“Well,” she said after letting go and resuming the collection of her supplies, including her Buchimaru-kun pencil case, “I want you to take it easy tomorrow. I’ve learned the hard way that overworking your brain can be even worse than underworking it.”

“Is that so?” Ren scooped up his own belongings, timing it so that the two of them rose from the table in unison. “I’ll have to think of other ways to spend my day off, then.” He flashed Makoto a knowing grin, not moving until her cheeks finally began to show red. She held her hands over them before replying. 

“It’s going to snow this evening, but the forecast is calling for clear skies afterwards. Could we go to Chinatown tomorrow?”

“It’s a date then.” They exited the library, hand-in-hand, and proceeded through the school, all the way down to the front steps. Ren made his usual flirty small talk that continued to leave Makoto feeling flustered but happy all the same. Their relationship had begun in September, and continued all the way now into December. Despite recent developments in their dual lives as both high school students and Phantom Thieves, the pair had managed to stick together through thick and thin. And soon, they would be celebrating Christmas together.

At the foot of the entrance to Shujin, Makoto announced a change in their usual plans. “You and Morgana can head to the subway without me.”

“Huh?” Ren stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his girlfriend. “Where are you going?”

“Oh, I...want to visit a shop near the school.” Makoto wasn’t a great liar, even when putting on a weak smile to try and fester away suspicion.

“Forrrrr…?” Ren’s voice trailed off on a single word. He could tell already that she was fibbing.

“F-for Sis! I-I have to get her a Christmas present at a beauty shop that’s close to Shujin!” She protested in his face, trying to hide the truth further.

Ren took a step back with a nodding gesture, raising his hands in apparent defeat. “Alright, alright. What will you get her?”   
  
“Her favourite eye shadow that she hasn’t had for a while: Violet Rapture.” Now she beamed confidently. “It’s a bit pricey, but I think she’s more than earned it after all she went through this year.”

“Well I hope you find it then.” His own smile suddenly dropped, as the body tensed up. “Are you sure I can’t come with you, though?” Ren felt a mixture of disappointment and worry. Being winter, the sun had already almost set entirely and clouds swirled around the sky, eager to blanket the city in their white myre.

“I’ll be fine.” she assured him before pecking a kiss on the cheek. “I’m heading home right after I buy it, and I’ll text you when I’m back.” Makoto made a fist pump in front of the transfer student, who shrugged in acceptance. He knew from their experiences in the Metaverse that anyone who tried to take her on would quickly regret the decision. 

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Just remember to text me as promised.” One last hug, then an exchange of “I love yous”, and they parted ways; Ren headed for Station Square while Makoto proceeded towards the business district. 

What she had told him wasn’t so much a lie as it was a half-truth: yes, she needed to buy a Christmas gift for Sae, but she also was in need of one for him too. Makoto had been afraid to tell Ren because Christmas was less than a week away and he’d for sure already purchased his gifts. Perhaps she put too little trust in a boy like him who was often non-judgmental, but there was a certain satisfaction to be had in keeping a surprise. 

She would be making two stops before returning to the Niijima condominium; first the beauty shop, and then an electronics store not much further. It was close to 5pm, and Makoto planned to be home before 6:30. Excited to be spending her first Christmas season with Ren and the group, she walked down the street with pride in her steps. She thought about calling Ann or Haru to join her, but recognized that it was probably too much of a hassle for them to come now. No matter, she was no stranger to accomplishing things solo, even after having been a member of the thieves for months.

Up in the sky, the sun had vanished from sight completely, as storm clouds gathered their might to unleash below.

The girl would be fine. She was certain of it.


	2. Chapter 2

The cold, black screen offered him nothing but his own reflection, which displayed a face devoid of happiness, only concern. He flipped the device in his hands, dropping it on the floor occasionally. Then he’d click it on, check his text messages, see nothing new, and resume flipping in his hands. A husky news anchor rambled on about the usual happenings of Tokyo, including the Phantom Thieves, the political strife in Japan’s cabinet, and the bustling Christmas shopping season. Ren had done his own last week, having made enough money from his job this year that he could afford to buy his presents before the major sales began. He liked being preemptive when possible.

Another click of the phone. Another blank notification box. Another toss.

Ren was worried. Scared, even. Almost 9pm and he had not received any messages from Makoto at all, not one. He checked his records: since arriving back at Leblanc he’d sent her 72 texts and called her number 16 times. He’d even tried the Niijima condominium number; all of them had gone unanswered. Ren figured that if no one was picking up at the condo, then Sae was not home yet either. Unfortunately, he did not have her number, nor did he have anyone to ask for it.

His stomach churned with anxiety. Where was Makoto? Had her phone died before she got home? No, by now she would be at home charging it. What about the subway line, maybe it had broken down? The news had nothing to say about public transport. Ren could feel his breaths slowly getting heavier, each one gaining greater power over his emotional state. He didn’t know what to do. Rising from his bed, he began pacing the attic, occasionally stopping to glance at the TV, the plant, or Morgana.

“Nothing from Makoto?” The cat’s tail danced behind him in confusion.

Ren couldn’t muster a response and merely shook his head.

“It’s not like her to forget a promise, especially for you.” Morgana scratched his ear with his back paw, before stopping at an idea. “Hey, have you asked the others if they know where she is?”

His owner stopped in the middle of the room as the idea processed through his mind. Settling back down on his bed, he opened the Phantom Thief group chat.

Ren:  _ Hey, has anyone heard from Makoto lately? _

It didn’t take long for answers to start pouring in.

Ryuji:  _ Nope, sorry man. _

Yusuke:  _ I have not heard from her today. _

Haru:  _ Mako-chan was going to call me tonight, but I’m still waiting. _

Ann:  _ What’s up? Is something wrong, Ren? _

Ren paused to think of a response.

Ren:  _ She was supposed to message me when she got home, but it’s been hours and I haven’t heard anything from her since I left school. _

Ren:  _ I’m worried… _

Yusuke:  _ Is there anything we can do? _

Futaba:  _ You tried calling her condo number, right? _

Ren:  _ I did, no answer. _

Yusuke:  _ Perhaps it would be prudent for us to go looking for her as a group. _

Ann:  _ It’s snowing pretty hard though, not sure if it’s safe to be outside right now. _

Ren couldn’t help worrying more after seeing that message from Ann. It was getting worse outside, and Makoto was likely out there somewhere. Yes, she was properly dressed in a coat with gloves and boots, but those only worked so well. By late evening, the temperatures would dwindle low enough to render winter clothing null and void. He found his own body shivering at the thought of Makoto freezing to death.

What should he do? Call the police? Tell Sojiro? Head down to the prosecutor’s office and find Sae? None of those options sounded very plausible to him.

_ Bzzz bzzz.  _ The phone in his hand sprung to life with new messages. Ren held it back up, expecting to see more talk in the group chat. Instead his eyes were greeted by a familiar royal blue colour.

It was Makoto. Hurriedly he unlocked his phone, hoping to hear her awkwardly apologize for being unreachable for so long. Ren had already since figured out that she was buying a Christmas present for him, so to see her denying the fact was adorable to him.

The first message read as such:

Makoto:  _ Come to the abandoned school. You know the place. _

Ren’s heart stopped. That was not Makoto who had just texted him. It was from her phone, yes, but the person who wrote that could not be her.

A chill began to clamber its way up Ren’s spine as the mysterious messenger continued.

???:  _ You will not tell anyone and you will bring no one. If you do, you will suffer the consequences. _

He exhaled sharply, knowing that something was seriously wrong here. Sweat beads trickled down from his ashen hair, goosebumps rising on his skin, telling him to stop from asking the question he had just sent.

Ren:  _ What consequences? _

???:  _ One shot, one kill. _

His eyes grew wider. In his mind he read the phrase over and over again. 

_ One shot, one kill...one shot, one kill...one shot, one kill... _

Was he being trolled? Or was this person serious about ending Makoto’s life?

Something was very wrong here. 

Ren:  _ Who is this? _

???:  _ You should already know. _

???:  _ I will see you soon, my friend. _

Ren frantically texted more questions towards the stranger, only for them all to go unanswered. His caller ID had been blocked by whoever was handling Makoto’s smartphone. Looking up from his bed, the attic of Leblanc appeared to be spiralling around him like a carousel. If he wasn’t bewildered before, there was no doubt about that now.

Morgana, who had been watching the evening news, looked at the boy with curiosity. “Is something wrong, Ren?”

He blinked a few times, attempting to swallow away the fears swimming in his head like sharks. Hastingly he rose from the bed, looking rather straggled. “Um, no, no everything’s fine. I uh, I just got a response from Makoto finally, and...and she needs me to meet her.”

Morgana’s glance shifted towards their window. “Now? In that weather?”

“Y-yeah. But you have to stay here.” Ren nodded contemptly.

“Huh? Why?” Morgana was getting suspicious.

“Because...Futaba will come by later to feed you!” Ren had returned to his phone now to try and waive away the group.

Ren:  _ It’s alright guys, she just contacted me. _

Yusuke:  _ That is a relief to hear.  _

Ryuji:  _ Where is she then? _

Ren:  _ She...I have to go pick her up somewhere. _

Haru:  _ Pick up Mako-chan? But it’s terrible outside. _

Futaba:  _ Makoto doesn’t live that far from Shujin though. Why would she need you now? _

Futaba:  _ Ren, are you not telling us something? _

Ren could already feel sweat beginning to sting his eyes. The stranger had said to tell no one, but how would they know if he did, exactly? Morgana was still suspicious, but seemed to have given up on asking, assuming it was something between lovers he wouldn’t understand in his own unrequited love from Ann. The transfer student’s head was swimming in questions, but it seemed he had no choice but to follow the instructions he had been given. Deciding to leave the last message from Futaba unanswered, he rose from his bed and stiffly made his way downstairs. Morgana watched him all the while, not saying anything but clearly deducing that something was wrong. Very wrong, if Ren’s expression was anything to go off of.

Leblanc was busier than usual, so Sojiro barely noticed Ren leaving the building at such a late time. Even when Sojiro asked where he was going, Ren gave no response, not even a glance. All that was on his mind was what was waiting for him at the abandoned school, and what had happened to Makoto. He gritted his teeth in the wintery night and silently hoped that this was all a dream, that he would wake up in a warm place with her soon. 

The “abandoned school” as the stranger had so described it, was an old elementary school that had gone out of business some time ago, now scheduled for demolition the following month. Local news had been talking about the scandal surrounding the school’s lack of safety protocols, which had resulted in an accident during a science lab. The entire building had been abandoned and decommissioned for several years since, though many people often came exploring to see a place frozen in time. 

On the subway ride, Ren felt nothing. Or rather, he was missing something. No rowdy cat in his bag with colour commentary, no lovely girlfriend who would sit next to him and laugh at his jokes. Normally, he had one or both of them when traveling around the city.

But for the sake of Makoto, it was just him. And it seemed the subway itself was complying with the demand as well, for the cars were largely empty save for old folk and the occasional beggar. Yet Ren didn’t even look at his phone to pass the time.

Soon, the boy found himself at the mouth of the eerie, crooked facility. The district it was located in was quiet; only a handful of people were roaming the streets in the darkness of December, most of them drunks or homeless. He paid them no mind and made his way inside, having no idea what he was really doing at all. The caution tape meant to keep explorers at bay was easily ignored, and it only took a small amount of force to breach the main entrance.

Lacking backup, shivering, and worried of what lay in wait for him here, he muttered a silent prayer under his breath.


	3. Chapter 3

Cold. Sterile. Lifeless. Moldy. Dusty. Ruined. A place devoid of activity, having been neglected for too long. All these thoughts and more sounded out within his head as he wandered the halls of a forgotten community. There were still chairs tucked in their desks, supplies nestled within cobwebbed cubbies, chalk drawings on the walls, even name tags for students who had long since entered high school by now. All of the faculty offices were astonishingly neat, yet they too had been wracked by age to the point of appearing rather pitiful.  __

There was a growing sense of dread swelling up in Ren’s stomach, clambering through the body up into the mind. His training experience with the Thieves gave him the mental fortitude to endure it for now, but he could not shake his growing uncomfortability. The light emitted from his phone gave him a way to seek a path through the dark bowels of empty hallways and classrooms. Despite the quiet atmosphere, the rashness of his brain wanted to tell him the place was haunted. Instinctively, he found himself hugging walls and ducking behind what cover was present. Of course this wasn’t the Metaverse, meaning Shadows would not be roaming the place no matter how much he expected them to. Biting his lip and pinching himself helped to keep his fears in check.

His attention soon came to something odd: one of the classroom doors was being held open by a chair. That was unusual, for all the other classrooms he’d passed had their doors either closed or wide open. As he still lacked any sort of direction to find what had brought him here in the first place, he pushed the chair aside and entered the room. 

On the floor, in front of the chalkboard, was something that made him pause and hesitate before slowly picking it up. When he realized what he was holding, his phone nearly fell out of his hand, having been almost paralyzed with worry.

It was a Buchimaru-kun pencil case, and not just any one. This was Makoto’s, for Ren could recognize by now the supplies she carried with her at all times. What was it doing here?

As if on cue, Ren’s neck turned to look at the chalkboard. Flashing his light over it, his breathing grew heavier.

Scrawled across the black, mulled wall was a message very clearly intended for him:

**COME AND FIND ME**

The writing was scratched, fuzzy, and still fresh on the board. Whoever had written this was likely still here...and so was Makoto.

Ren turned to leave the classroom, pencil case now nestled into his pocket, but felt his composure slipping away. While he still lacked enough evidence to determine exactly what was happening, he could draw one conclusion already:

_ Makoto was in danger. _

Returning to the hallway, he felt he needed to be more on alert, especially without Morgana watching his back. He was shivering in the cold, damp air, but pressed on to the next level. 

The school had only three floors, and he’d already cleared the first. Ren had glanced at a map of the building upon entering: the gymnasium was on the second floor, and the library on the third. It was a rather poorly-designed building, something that probably contributed towards its downfall. He was careful going up the steps in the dark, knowing the greater consequences if he were to trip and injure himself.

Second floor. The windows were overbearingly dusty, many of their panes looking as though they would shatter with a single punch. A children’s craft lined the walls above the classrooms, Ren reading the names casually as he walked across. All his time reading books on the subway had tuned his eyes to read whatever text presented itself before him.

_ Tatsumi, Hikaru, Yuu, Ryotaro, Shirou, Masahiro, Makoto, Noriyuki, Kenji, Jun’ichi… _

He paused and stopped his movement, before craning his neck in turn with his light to see the names again. One of the names looked to have been altered, his gut already telling him which one it would be. Shining the light over the name of  _ Makoto _ , his black eyes widened.

The name had a long slash running throughout, left by a bright red marker. Again, it appeared to have been applied recently.

Fears in the mind of Ren Amamiya continued to gain power, causing him to place one hand over his head before running it through the black hair covering his scalp. Someone was not only very aware of their relationship, but also skilled enough to plan this out. And it was working, for he could feel his psyche growing more panicked with fears and doubts attacking his conscience ravenously. 

When he wasn’t walking, the building was absolutely silent, with not even a single mouse scurrying through the rotten wood panels. It hit Ren at this point that he was not only alone in a building with Makoto and a mystery aggressor, but no else knew that they were here. To the outside world, this place was nothing more than a forgotten failure under the education board’s name, one soon to be wiped clean and started over anew.

Shaking his head, shivering, and pressing onward. That was all he could do now. His body was slowly getting more hasteful, arguing that he should just leave and call the police. That he should run back to Leblanc and brew himself a warm mug of coffee. That all of this was likely someone’s idea of a prank on the delinquent transfer student, which Makoto wanted to use to surprise him somehow.

He laughed, and then laughed some more. His dry voice echoed through the barren hallways for none to hear. Perhaps the cold was setting in on his mind, ripping away his sanity little by little. He hadn’t changed out of his Shujin winter uniform, which didn’t offer much warmth. In his haste to get here his mind had neglected to even grab a coat, let alone other winter gear.

Ren’s skin seemed to crawl with displeasure, wanting to jump off of his body and run for safety. Both hands were feeling weak, with his right growing cramped from holding his smartphone for so long. One eye had begun to twitch, and his legs wanted to rest for a very long time very soon. The vast emptiness of the school building seemed to be almost laughing at him and his feeble attempts to navigate it alone. All he could do against these overbearing forces was grit his teeth and focus on the objective. Makoto was here somewhere, and he had to find her. There was no way he would be leaving without confirmation of her safety.

Swinging open the doors to the gymnasium, his attention immediately turned towards something in the middle of it all. A single candle, scented no less, placed squarely on the floor. It had been lit not too long ago, and there was something else next to it. Ren hurried over to its position, smelling that which had been sourced from a rare breed of flower, and examined the other object. It was a small glass container, purple in colour.

_ Purple? Wait, is this… _

He read the label:

_ Violet Rapture. _

That clinched it. Makoto was here, and so was her assailant. He could ascertain that at some point, on her way home, she had been attacked and taken. But by who? A stalker, perhaps? They’d changed the heart of one in Mementos previously, so was there another? Mishima hadn’t told him of any more requests pertaining to that sort. All Ren knew was that he had to hurry, for he lacked enough knowledge to determine if there was a time limit on him. 

He couldn’t help noticing that there was something...organized about the clues he had been given. It was almost as if he were a detective of some kind.

_ Detective? _

A name had entered Ren’s mind, and with it a sense of dreaded fear. No, it could not be true.

Exhaling with a hand placed over his chest, slowly mustering the courage to continue on, he pocketed the eye shadow and kept moving. He left the candle where it was, and soon exited the gymnasium afterwards upon finding that it lacked anything else of interest. All the storage and change rooms were barren, deteriorated, and frankly unsettling. He had completed the second floor of the school, leaving only the third floor to examine.

Ren could not shake the feeling that he was walking into a trap, but there was nothing else to do. He soon arrived on the uppermost floor, which largely contained the library. By this point his fear was shifting towards anger. Whoever was responsible for this would get their reckoning from him no matter what. He passed by a handful of classrooms before reaching the main attraction, each footstep echoing across the building.

As soon as he entered the archival place, he was taken aback by the sudden activation of the secondary lights. Shielding his eyes momentarily, each of the room’s weaker lights came to life with renewed force. Given the state of this building, it was unlikely the city was still supplying power to it, meaning someone else had given these old lights a final lease on life. Though still dark, it was significantly easier to navigate through the hordes of bookshelves and desks that had been left behind for good. Science textbooks, a calculator, old pieces of gum, and...Makoto’s handbag. 

Ren stopped dead in his tracks to examine it, finding that it had been untampered with save for the items he’d collected on his way here. Looking around to see if anyone was watching, he deposited the pencil case and eye shadow back inside. Makoto’s smartphone was missing, but Ren felt that was obvious already.

He tensed up. This was the last major room in the building; she HAD to be here. The boy’s calmness faded quickly as he continued through the half-lit abandoned archives.

Close to the end of the room, not far from the desk where one would check out their books, something caught his attention. A lone chair, which appeared to have something on it. A bag? A coat? No, it was something else. Ren inched his way further, taking each step slowly and carefully. He was wary of being ambushed from behind, repeatedly checking his flanks.

When he finally realized what he was looking at, his phone fell dead to the ground, and his anger gave way to shock.

There, straight ahead less than five meters from where he stood, was Makoto; tightly bound to the chair with wires extending around her arms, waist, legs, and ankles. Her eyes were closed and her face expressed pain, but she was still breathing. 

Ren found himself utterly stunned by the sight. Who? Who had done this?

Before he could open his mouth to shout her name, he was forced to cover his eyes again. The main lights had been switched on now, illuminating the entire room. With the improved visibility, Ren could see bruising on her face; her assailant had caught her by surprise, and then brought her here to in turn bring him as well. But why?

A slow clap sounded out from beyond his visibility, before the person responsible made himself apparent. He wore black gloves, a grey suit, had messy, downy hair, and flashed a large smile across his mug as he stepped into view behind Makoto.

Ren gritted his teeth and clenched his fists upon seeing the face. His suspicions had been correct.

_ Goro Akechi. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter with eerie, quiet music in the background to get the proper mood. Think it worked out okay?


	4. Chapter 4

“Welcome.” The man greeted him with cheerful eyes and his signature warm, smiling face. His gloved hands were clasped together in apparent satisfaction. “I’m very glad to see you’ve made it, and that you’ve come alone as requested.”

“Akechi,” Ren growled, “I thought you would have left Japan by now.”

“Oh, but I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to my favourite people.” He stepped forward so that he was right behind Makoto now. He tapped the girl on the shoulder, waking her from her coma. 

The first thing Makoto saw before her was her boyfriend’s stiff, tense form. “R...Ren? What’s going…” She stopped upon realizing that she could not move, her face quickly shifting from confusion to worry.

Ren scowled and motioned to close the distance, but Akechi read into this. “Now, now.” he said, stepping forward and reaching into his coat. The grinning detective paused for dramatic effect, before revealing a gun and placing it directly against Makoto’s head. “Let’s not rush things.”

“Ren…I...” The memory of having been ambushed and knocked out by Akechi came back to her. Makoto’s red eyes were wide with fear as Akechi pressed the cold metal barrel against her skull. “...I’m sorry…”

“Let her go.” Ren stood his ground, glaring his opponent in the face. One hand had balled up into a fist from anger while the other seemed to be trembling slightly.

“If I were you, I’d stop trying to control the situation here.” Akechi replied casually. “If you don’t oblige to my request, I can’t guarantee my finger won’t slip and take her happy life away from yours.” He giggled, tapping Makoto with the butt of his gun before pressing its barrel a little harder against her head. She winced even more.

“Then talk!” His opponent demanded, trying to hide his own fears.

“Now that’s more like it. It’s that sort of charisma I enjoyed when the three of us were colleagues; you, the leader, her, the strategist, and me, the unknown.” His smile was slowly making Ren angrier, but he couldn’t bring himself to cause an outburst; not when Makoto was being held at gunpoint right in front of him. 

Akechi continued after a brief pause. “As you are both aware, I’m evading law enforcement now, after Shido’s collapse. Bit of an unfortunate dilemma, wouldn’t you say?” 

Ren turned away from the sight before him, having noticed that Makoto’s eyes were beginning to tear up. “What do you want from us?”

His adversary was quiet for a moment, before laughing at them. “Nothing!” He pressed his gun even harder to Makoto’s head. “I just wanted to have some FUN before I left Japan!” She whimpered in fear as Ren grew more worried about her. “Yes, yes, that’s what I want to see. That expression of raw, unbridled, natural fear.” Akechi’s auburn eyes glowed with lust, his madness crawling closer to the surface again.

“So that’s it?” Ren suddenly yelled back at him. “You’re just here to waste our time before making your escape?!”

“Oh heavens no. I know better than to mismanage my valuable time, and thus I want to make this entertaining for all of us.” Without taking his gun off of the girl, he reached with his free hand into his pocket, before flicking out a small silvered object and tossing it to Ren, who instinctively picked it up.

It was a knife, the same brand of knife he wielded in the Metaverse. Without even realizing so, he held it in reverse grip.

“Ah, look at that. So natural how you hold it, almost as if we were in the Metaverse right now.” Akechi’s face was growing more sinister by the second. He extracted a second knife from his pocket, pointing it at Ren in apparent challenge. 

“Ren...no...don’t do it…” Makoto said in between panicked breaths.

“But you should remember one important thing,” Akechi yelled, pocketing his gun before charging towards Ren in wild fury “THIS ISN’T THE METAVERSE!”

Ren barely had time to react as his foe came at him with great speed, countering his knife strike as best he could. The clang of metal was loud in the empty room, and Makoto could only watch and cry as the two duelled their way around the tables. 

With his further combat prowess, Akechi kept the pressure on Ren, who was largely trying to parry and otherwise evade his strikes. But his foe was far from above playing dirty. Ren was caught off guard by the sudden slam of something much harder than a small knife; Akechi had smacked him with a textbook. It took him a moment to recover before retreating, with his opponent in hot pursuit. The musty old library was large enough that he could fight evasively. 

Trying to stay away until he could formulate a plan, he realized that the deranged detective was right; this wasn’t the Metaverse. Ren had only his amateur skills to rely on here, while Akechi wielded police training that gave him a superior edge. Any wounds they inflicted on each other would be very real, and thus very painful. 

_So this is his goal?_ Ren’s mind was racing trying to avoid a serious blow, as he could already feel several nicks and cuts that had occurred from narrow dodges. _He’s just going to kill us both here, and then leave?_

“COWARD!!!” His train of thought was broken by the yell of his assailant, who stopped and reached for his gun. Ren frantically looked for cover, but was caught off guard when Akechi did not point the barrel in his direction. Rather, he fired one shot at Makoto, barely missing on purpose. She screamed, which only served to tense Ren up more. Akechi’s face was twitching in perverse delight; he was enjoying every last moment of this. Hiding his gun once more, he pointed at Ren with his bloody knife, itching for him to answer his call for a proper battle. 

Losing control of himself, the boy charged directly at him; he tackled Akechi into a bookshelf, only to be kicked away before he could follow up. Akechi was giggling as he grabbed a chair and threw it straight at Ren, who promptly dodged as best he could. His body was growing more tired from all that it had endured tonight, but his foe had plenty of energy to spare.

Ren knew this was not a fight he could win; Akechi would kill him, and then kill Makoto before making his escape. Their bodies would not be found until the building’s demolition, and only if they were lucky. 

_I can’t let this happen._ Ren felt a cut near his stomach from Akechi’s knife. _I need to change priorities here, and not let Akechi delay me any longer!_

Ducking his way past his assailant, he ran and grabbed his smartphone up from where he’d dropped it earlier, before continuing to move away.

“What are you going to do with that?!” Akechi’s crazed laughter passed through the room like a wolf’s howl. 

Thinking quickly, Ren let Akechi approach him. Before the detective could make out an assault, he held his phone right to his opponent’s eye, where the flashlight was still shining as brightly as ever. As he predicted, the light blinded Akechi long enough for him to grab a textbook left on the table next to him and smack his foe as hard as possible. Ren then slashed his knife at Akechi’s stomach before kicking him to the floor, pinning him down with one foot. 

Akechi was strangely both laughing and crying from the pain overcoming his body, but wasn’t prepared for the sight of what happened next. The boy he had led here promptly flipped a table over him, it’s wooden surface keeping Akechi pinned to the floor. He bellowed, though Ren could not tell if he was hurt or simply enjoying himself in his insanity. 

Hoping this would buy him some time, Ren made a mad dash for Makoto’s position, who had been watching the conflict with heavy breaths. He placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her even just a little. “Are you okay?!”

“I’m-I’m fine! But you…!” 

“Don’t worry about me!” Ren took his knife and prepared himself to start cutting her bonds. Akechi’s handiwork had been thorough; he would need to work fast if he was to make any progress before his opponent came for them. Ren moved behind the chair and started working away at the tie binding Makoto’s hands together. 

Just as he was about to slice through the wire, his ear twitched to a sound behind him; a quiet, clicking noise. 

“Ren, behind you!” Makoto screamed before ducking her head.

He turned, but was too late: a bullet sailed straight toward him, nicking him on the elbow. Akechi was standing there, his gun pointed straight at Ren with his smile wider than ever. The detective had snuck up on his opponent from behind, but then pushed him backwards so they were in front of his hostage again. 

Ren held his arm in pain, but refused to give up, charging right at Akechi with a punch...which Akechi easily countered before driving his knee into Ren’s stomach. The brunt of impact caused Ren to drop his knife and stagger backwards, before Akechi smacked him backhandedly and drove him into the floor in front of Makoto.

“That was clever.” Akechi sneered. “But I see through you and your reliance on the Metaverse.” Now pinning Ren to the ground, his knife hand rose directly into the air, before coming down straight into his foe’s right shoulder. “YOU’RE A FOOL!”

Ren cried out from the sharp pain, and cried again as Akechi stabbed him once more without remorse. 

“NO! NOOOOOO!” Makoto cried out, struggling to free herself. “Get up! Get up, Ren!”

He struggled to rise, but his opponent released the boy from underneath his heel to make an example of how weak he was now. His arms buckled under the massive weight of his body; bleeding shoulders, tattered uniform, bruised face & stomach...

Ren Amamyia had been defeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sort of envisioned this as "what if Akechi lived through the encounter in Shido's Palace and became a criminal on the run". I'm not sure if there's enough for it to make sense here but I thought I'd lay that out anyway.


	5. Chapter 5

Every part of his body was on fire. His shoulders screamed for mercy as their arms fought valiantly to rise himself off the floor. Choking on something within his throat, he coughed blood onto the old carpet, barely able to even look up. His opponent seemed to be dancing around him now, howling with laughter for his pair of victims to hear as he occasionally stopped to clear his throat.

Ren’s neck was furious at him as he lifted his head up, only able to see Makoto in front of him, tears welling down her cheeks. She appeared to be yelling something, but his hazed mind wouldn’t let him hear her words. Still, this gave him a small boost, as he felt one knee prop himself up…

...only for a swift kick to his gut to send him keeling over again.

“Now, now.” Akechi shook his head in disapproval. “You should stay down like the maggot you are.” He turned himself towards the bound Makoto, flicking his knife in Ren’s direction. “Look at him. Look at him beaten on the floor there. Is this the man you love?!”

“Yes!” She spit back in his face, wishing she could cave it in with her fist.

“Then you’re a perfect match.” Akechi replied, wiping his face with his sleeve. “The weak leader, and the pushover who does everything she’s told to.”

Makoto scowled at him. “Untie me and say that again.”

Akechi’s face appeared to pause for a moment, almost losing his savage intent. “It seems you have something on your cheek,” he suddenly declared. He brought one hand to Makoto’s face, before slapping her wildly and cackling like a hooligan. She coughed and cursed him under her breath.

Ren snarled and panted, fiercely trying to get back up again. He wished he could hear Arsene’s voice again as when Ryuji had been in trouble, and grant him the courage necessary to win the day.

But this was a coward’s answer to the problem, according to Akechi. 

“What are you waiting for then?!” Makoto yelled as her assailant seemed to be casually checking his watch and brushing himself off. “Aren’t you going to-”

A gloved hand covered her mouth. “I’m deciding, you wench. I’ve got a flight taking off in less than two hours, but I want to make sure the three of us _really_ enjoy our last meeting together.” He released her from his grasp before slipping out his knife once more, casually rubbing it along her chin and watching her wince. “Should I place a bullet in your head as promised, and then do the same to him? Or maybe cut him up and let you sit here, useless as always, to watch his body decompose until you eventually expire yourself?”

Makoto was scared, but his insults were preventing her from conceding. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ren slowly but surely trying incredibly hard to rise again. Her tears seemed to pause at the sight of him valiantly refusing to give up the fight and save their lives. Then, she had an idea. 

_I’m not useless...I can still help him after all...!_

She relaxed against her bonds, looked Akechi in the eyes, and flashed him a smug grin, causing him to momentarily pause. “I know why you’re really doing this.” she said, plainly and knowingly.

“Oh, really?” The detective now grinned, expecting her to say something nonsensical. “Humour me, if you will then.”

Makoto’s eyes closed as she declared loud enough for Ren to hear “You love me.”

She could see he was almost on both knees by now. _Just a little longer..._

Akechi’s hands scraped his face as he danced backwards in a fit of hollering laughter, to the point of wheezing so hard he clutched his stomach. “Oh! Oh my!” The smile across his face had never been greater. “You think me so foolish to love a woman as manufactured and putrid as yourself! The shame of it all! Mercy! Mercy on this country!”

Ren found himself coughing up some more blood again, but he had managed to get back on his feet. Makoto winked at him, and she saw the corners of his mouth curl slightly.

“Well,” Akechi took a moment to admire his reflection in the knife he held, “you could say love played a part in this. After all...” the knife was now placed against Makoto’s throat, “...I do love breaking things up. Now, no more talk! I think I’ll combine my options: slice you open before delivering the coup de grace, and then do the same to him.”

Akechi brought his arm over his chest, winding up for a swing which caused Makoto to shut her eyes and wince, but then chuckled as he lowered it and instead casually returned it to her throat, where he began cutting ever so delicately. She shut her lips and held her breath, trying to contain her suffering.

Then, Akechi felt something behind him. A hand? No, something else.

“Oh, the delays.” He removed his knife again and reached onto his shoulder to see what the distraction was. Pulling it in front of his face, he discovered it was a pair of glasses. “Hm? Wait-”

He had no more time to do anything else, for two hands gripped him by the shoulders, ripping the man away from his captive and hurling him onto a table. He barely had a moment to express his reaction before he was grabbed at the chest and ran along against a shelf, his face being used to clock every book it came into contact with. When they came to a stop, he was on the floor, battered and coughing. But still his assailant was not done, for he felt sharp pain from being stabbed by a bladed object, before being grabbed, dragged across the floor, and thrown out into the hallway against the lockers.

He scrubbed the back of his head for a new bruise, and weakly looked up in front of himself. All he could do was laugh with a wheeze.

Ren stood before him, battered and as beaten as before, but his eyes were different. They appeared fiery, re-energized, given new life, enough to power his entire body once more. He did not say a word, knowing his opponent would take more than a few moments to recover.

“Infinite potential…!” Akechi clutched his bleeding stomach. “You never cease to disappoint, not once.”

No comeback from Ren, now staggering his way over to Makoto, who only had a light cut near her throat. Once more he began slicing away at the wires holding her down. He wanted to say something- anything -but he barely had enough energy to walk now. Ren needed medical attention sooner than later, as the wounds inflicted by Akechi were drenching his Shujin uniform in a myriad of blood.

Finally, the boy cut away the last of the wires and Makoto was free to move once more. She sprung from the chair and cradled him in her arms. “Oh my god...oh my god…” 

“I’m fine.” was all he could muster. The world was spiralling around him, and all he could focus on was the sound of her voice as she led the two of them away.

“Eeeheeheehee...hahahahahaaaa!” Akechi cackled as if he were a goblin, watching as Makoto helped drag a nearly-unconscious Ren away. “That’s the spirit! Live long for the next time we meet so that I can drag both of you down with me!”

Makoto said nothing to her kidnapper, only moving as quickly as she could with Ren’s battered form to make it back to the front entrance. Akechi twitched with the desire to stab her in the backside, but he was too harmed for such a brisk motion. He lay there where Ren had left him, never taking his eyes off of Makoto’s form until she was out of his sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the 2 week wait, I had a vacation. I hope this story has been entertaining for you all, just one chapter left.


	6. Chapter 6

Strange. Everything around him appeared white. The room was soaked in the colour, and so was he. 

_ Ow.  _ It hurt to move, even a little. Still, he found the resolve to sit up on the bed he’d somehow wound up in.

And then he felt something more. In one of his hands, there was a strange sensation, almost as if there were something connected to it. Turning to his left, he locked eyes with another person sitting at his side, holding his hand with her own. She was returning his glance, smiling as warmly as she could.

“Good morning.”

“G...Good morning…?” He felt as though he’d just awoken from a double-hangover. Where were they?

“Good heavens, kid!” Came a third, booming voice. Ren’s gaze shifted towards this familiar man with a pink shirt and slicked beard. “You gave us one hell of a scare!”

“...us…?”

“Yeah. You’re lucky the police decided to follow a tip from someone named Alibaba.” Another voice, this one much younger and emitting from a small, energetic girl with lavish orange hair. In her lap was a small black cat with large blue eyes and a yellow collar.

“Tip...from Alibaba…?”

“I think he’s still a bit delirious.” The girl holding his hand let out a sigh, though it was a one of relief rather than annoyance. “Can we have some privacy before I call you back in?”

“Sure, take your time. Come on, Futaba.”

“But I wanna hear every wor-” The door closed before she could finish her sentence.

Ren felt his hand being squeezed a little tighter by Makoto’s. “Hey.”

“Ugh…” He found a small bit of strength, enough to straighten out his back some more and bring his free hand close to his face. “What happened? Why are we in a hospital?”

Then it all came flooding back to him: Makoto’s kidnapping, the mysterious message, the abandoned school, confronting Akechi, and then...what?

“Akechi!” He suddenly yelled. “Did he get away?”

Makoto looked concerned. “He did, although the police are conducting a manhunt for him now.”

“The police? When did they arrive?”

Now Makoto smiled. “It was Futaba; she knew something was wrong when you didn’t answer her in the group chat. So she hacked into your phone’s GPS to see where you were, before tipping off the police and convincing Sojiro to bring them there.”

Ren was surprised, and then satisfied. His hopeful plan had worked after all.

“When they did arrive, I had only managed to bring us down to the second floor. They put us both on stretchers and brought us to this hospital.” She glanced at him. “Apparently some of the staff recognized you from a previous time?”

Ren thought to himself, and realized it must have been when he’d come to visit Ms. Kawakami here. Rather fortunate for him and Makoto now.

“Did you explain to them what happened?”

“I did, although I was admittedly in such a panic that my statements were hard to follow. You were out cold though, which helped convince the police of our case.”

Ren couldn’t help smiling at how she’d managed to twist that into something useful.

“They searched the building but couldn’t find Akechi before he escaped, although they did grab all our belongings. I’ve already unblocked you on my smartphone.”

He nodded, then thought of another question. “How long have I been here?”

“Just two days. I was discharged earlier when they declared I was fine, more or less,” she motioned to the bandages around her neck and head, “but Sis was okay with me making frequent visits. She's grateful we made it out alive, but was too busy to visit today. Sis is working with the team hunting for Akechi.”

At this he finally found himself able to relax for a moment...before realizing that today was Monday. “My calculus test!” he yelled.

“Shhh, shhh. It’s okay.” Makoto reassured him by gently caressing his hand with her own. “Boss called ahead and told them that you’d be absent. Mr. Inui said you can take it when you come back.”

“Phew.”  _ Now  _ he could rest for real. He felt his body slowly drooping back down...

“U-um…”

Hearing that, Ren stopped and sat up again. “Something wrong?”

“I...I’m sorry.” Makoto looked distraught. “I let Akechi blindside me like that...and lead you into a trap that nearly killed both of us…”

Ren shook his head. “Don’t apologize. That just meant you and I got to take him down together. I wouldn’t have gotten up again had you not stalled him long enough.”

She went quiet for a moment before agreeing. “You’re right. Thank you for protecting me.”

“And thank you for protecting me as well.”   
  


“Eh? B-but, I didn’t-”

“We’re equals, remember?” He winked at her.

Makoto blinked a few times, realizing he’d remembered something she hadn’t; the promise they’d made to each other back in September. “You’re correct.”

They remained in silence for a few moments before she spoke again. “Hey, Ren?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

“And I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That brings Taken to a close. Deep apologies for the inconsistent upload schedule on this one, life's getting dull and taking inspiration away from me. I hope the next ShuMako story I release will be just as entertaining for you all. Stay safe out there.


End file.
